Josh Hamilton figures to command more money than the Texas Rangers are willing to pay, but the market could come back to them. / Tim Heitman-US PRESSWIRE US PRESSWIRE

by Scott Boeck, USA TODAY Sports

by Scott Boeck, USA TODAY Sports

There was plenty of talk, but little activity over the last four days at the winter meetings in Nashville. Now that the doors are closed, USA TODAY Sports looks back at the five things we learned (in no particular order):

1. The New York Yankees are cheap: General manager Brian Cashman returned to the Bronx with nothing to show for his efforts, save for a gimpy third baseman with $114 million left on his contract. Baseball's wealthiest team seemed more focused on getting their payroll below the $189 million luxury tax threshold in 2014 rather than filling the void created by Alex Rodriguez's impending hip surgery. So that takes them out of almost any multiyear commitment for a Rodriguez fill-in.

The Yankees reportedly targeted third basemen Eric Chavez and Jeff Keppinger, but Chavez decided to stay close to home to play for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Keppinger agreed to a three-year deal with the Chicago White Sox.

2. Marquee men still a mystery: Outfielder Josh Hamilton and Zack Greinke are still without a team. The Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners expressed interest in Hamilton, but his future still remains in limbo. Hamilton is the biggest prize in the free agent market, but wants a seven-year, $175 million deal. For Greinke, it appears he has a choice between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels or go to Texas; his wife is a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.

3. Dollars, not years: Save for free agents B.J. Upton and Angel Pagan, no player has received more than a three-year deal. Pagan signed the biggest contract at the winter meetings -- a four-year, $40 million deal with the San Francisco Giants. Outfielder Shane Victorino opted for fewer years for a higher average salary -- three years, $39 million -- with the Boston Red Sox.

4. Rangers holding the cards: The winter meetings were hijacked by the Rangers. While they made a few minor deals, they were involved in every major free agent scenario (Hamilton, Greinke) and reportedly involved in a mega-deal involving Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton, Cleveland Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, Tampa Bay Rays pitcher James Shields and possibly the Kansas City Royals.

They were also interested in trading for New York Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.

5. Former teammates sometimes shoot each other: Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum revealed that he was hit in the ear by pellets from Hall of Famer Robin Yount shotgun during an offseason quail hunting excursion in Arizona. Yount "got the bird" but also part of Sveum's right ear.

"The bird was in front of him and I was about 50 yards up on a hill," Sveum said. "He got the bird up and lost track of where I was. He pulled the trigger and was like, 'Uh, oh.'"

"We do it all the time," Sveum said. "Not that close all the time, but we do get BB's fall on us."